Event content ownership matrix
After the event, three people ask whether they may reuse the recording, and nobody can say who decides.
The short answer
An ownership matrix lists every type of content the event produces or receives, and beside each one records who created it, which written document says who holds the rights, and who may reuse it. Leave the rights column blank where no document exists.
The matrix organises facts and gaps. Whether a right exists or a use is allowed is for a legal adviser to confirm.
Why attending is not permission
A speaker presenting at your event, a delegate asking a question and a photographer taking pictures have each done something. None of that, on its own, is a record of who may publish what. Treat permission as something written down, not assumed.
The matrix is where the written records are gathered so the secretariat can answer reuse questions from one place.
The matrix
Add a row for each content type. The sample rows below show the columns; adapt the list to your event.
| Content | Created by | Document that records rights | Who may reuse (to confirm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speaker slides | Speaker or speaker's employer | Speaker agreement or permission form | Ask legal; blank if no document |
| Session recording | Organiser or recording supplier | Supplier contract and speaker release | Ask legal |
| Event photographs | Photographer | Photographer contract | Ask legal and the data protection contact |
| Programme and web text | Organiser or writer | Writer or agency agreement | Ask legal |
| Sponsor logos and materials | Sponsor | Sponsor agreement | Per agreement; see logo approval |
| Delegate lists and questions | Delegates | Registration notice and consent record | Ask the data protection contact |
How to fill it
- List content by type, then by session where it differs.
- For each row, name the person who created it and the organisation they belong to.
- Attach the speaker agreement, supplier contract, release form or notice that is meant to cover it, or write None found.
- Mark the third and fourth columns for review where a document is missing, silent or unclear.
- Send rows with gaps to a legal adviser using the question pack below, and record the answers with dates.
- Link each row to its version in the materials and translation-version checker.
Question pack for a legal adviser
- Which documents in this matrix record who holds rights, and which are silent or unclear?
- May the organiser publish, share or reuse each content type after the event, and for how long?
- Do speaker employers or third parties need to give permission for slides that include their material?
- Does the recording supplier's contract say who owns the recording and what each side may do with it?
- Which rows involve personal data and should also go to the data protection contact?
- What wording should we add to future agreements so this matrix can be completed at the start?
- The adviser answers these. The event team records the answers and does not interpret rights.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional professional body's annual conference
Fictional organisation and figures, illustrative only.
A fictional engineers' association listed 11 content types for its annual conference. Only 4 had a document stating who held the rights, and the speaker agreement said nothing about recordings.
The secretariat sent the seven blank rows to its legal adviser as one question list, and held the recording back from the member portal until the answers were recorded.
Use this yourself
Content ownership matrix columns
Create a sheet with these columns and one row per content type.
- Content type and session:
- Created by (person and organisation):
- Document intended to cover rights, with version and date, or None found:
- Personal data involved? (yes or no, route to data protection contact):
- Question sent to legal, date and answer received:
- Reuse allowed as confirmed by legal (leave blank until confirmed):
- Owner of this row in the secretariat:
Open the tool: Conference materials and translation-version checker
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- Few content types and every speaker signs one standard form.
- You already have a legal adviser who answers quickly.
- Reuse questions are rare.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many suppliers, speakers and sponsors each hold part of the content.
- Agreements were signed by different people with no single file.
- Reuse requests are arriving and nobody is sure who answers.
Want the matrix built and kept current?
A conference project lead can gather the agreements, build the matrix with your secretariat, send the gaps to your legal adviser and keep the answers filed. Legal conclusions stay with your adviser.
Questions organisers ask
Do we need a matrix for a small event?
A short one is enough: slides, photos, recordings and delegate data. The value is that the questions are written down before someone asks to reuse something.
Who should own the matrix?
The secretariat or project lead, as one named owner. Legal and the data protection contact review rows but do not maintain the sheet.
What if a speaker refuses sharing?
Record the refusal in the row and the presentation permission register, and keep the file out of distribution lists.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.